Many cordless phones require electricity and may not work during an outage. Have a battery back-up telephone. Keep cell phones charged.

When the power is out:

Turn off all electrical equipment, including your water heater, electric furnace or heaters, stove, washer and dryer, stereo and TV, to help prevent overloading the system when power is restored. Major appliances can be turned off at the breaker box.

Keep on a porch light and one light inside so you and crews will know when service is restored.

If you see any downed utility lines, stay far back and call MEC at 1-800-752-5935. Keep children and pets away, too. A downed line doesn't have to spark to be dangerous. A wire can be dangerous even if you're not touching it; water, metal, tree branches, concrete or other materials touching the wire can conduct electricity from a wire to you.

For information during major storm outages, follow Midstate Electric Cooperative on Facebook or @midstatecoop on Twitter via a mobile device. You can also view our Live Outage map.

If you own a portable generator, know how to operate it safely. Click here for information on generator safety.

In Home Life Support

MEC strongly recommends having a backup power source and an emergency plan for extended outages for those on medical support devices.

When all is back to normal, restock your three-day emergency supply kit and update your emergency communications plan so family members know how to contact each other and where to meet.

Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives is a national network of electric cooperatives across 46 states that provides resources and leverages partnerships to help member cooperatives and their employees better engage and serve their members. By working together, Touchstone Energy cooperatives stand as a source of power and information to their 32 million member-owners every day.